Applied Linguistics FINAL MARCH 2018.pdf (290.37 kB)
Establishing intellectually impaired victims’ understanding about ‘truth’ and ‘lies’: Police interview guidance and practice in cases of sexual assault
journal contribution
posted on 2018-05-01, 13:46 authored by Emma Richardson, Elizabeth Stokoe, Charles AntakiEffective police interviews are central to the justice process for sexual assault victims, but little is known about actual communication between police officers and witnesses, nor about the alignment between guidance and real practice. This study investigated how police officers, in formal interviews, follow ‘best evidence’ guidance to obtain victims’ demonstrable understandings of ‘truth and lies’. We conducted qualitative conversation
analysis of 20 evidentiary interviews between police officers and victims who were ‘vulnerable’ adults, or children. Analysis revealed that interviewers initiated conversation about truth and lies inappropriately in three ways: 1) by eliciting confirmations rather than
demonstrations of understanding; 2) by eliciting multiple demonstrations and confirmations of understanding, or 3) by re-introducing ‘truth and lies’ conversations at incorrect points in
the interview. Both 2) and 3) imply prior or forthcoming dishonesty on the part of the victim. In the context of encouraging victims to report sexual assault, and achieve justice, the paper reveals potential communicative barriers in which victims – or their evidence – may be
discredited right at the start of the process.
History
School
- Social Sciences
Department
- Communication, Media, Social and Policy Studies
Published in
Applied LinguisticsVolume
40Issue
5Pages
773–792Citation
RICHARDSON, E., STOKOE, E. and ANTAKI, C., 2018. Establishing intellectually impaired victims’ understanding about ‘truth’ and ‘lies’: Police interview guidance and practice in cases of sexual assault. Applied Linguistics, 40(5), pp. 773–792.Publisher
© The Authors. Published by Oxford University Press (OUP)Version
- AM (Accepted Manuscript)
Publisher statement
This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in Applied Linguistics following peer review. The version of record RICHARDSON, E., STOKOE, E. and ANTAKI, C., 2018. Establishing intellectually impaired victims’ understanding about ‘truth’ and ‘lies’: Police interview guidance and practice in cases of sexual assault. Applied Linguistics, 40(5), pp. 773–792 is available online at: https://academic.oup.com/applij/article/40/5/773/5035076 and https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amy023.Acceptance date
2018-04-16Publication date
2018-06-08Copyright date
2018ISSN
0142-6001Publisher version
Language
- en